The Winchester .25-35 has a one-turn-in-eight-inches rifling twist, but as I scrubbed the bore my cleaning rod with tight fitting patches did not seem to turn as it should if it was following the rifling, but rather just skipped and jerked along down the barrel. Not a good sign! After I got the bore clean, I used a bore light to inspect the bore, which did not look at all shiny or smooth, but that tiny .25 caliber hole was difficult for me to see through. I have one of those cheap Super-Eyes flexible endoscopes, but it would not fit into the bore, so this afternoon I took the rifle to a nearby gunsmith who has a really neat Hawkeye borescope that cost him nearly a thousand dollars. The bad news was then plainly visible... a very nasty bore that had more corrosion than rifling.
I now have to decide whether I want to invest more money in this rifle by getting the bore lined. If I had had a good borescope at initial inspection, I probably would have passed on this rifle, or at least offered less $$. I am inclined to go ahead and get it lined because I like the rifle.
Meanwhile, I've been researching borescopes and found that Lyman will be offering one starting this summer for under $300. It looks very promising to be what I want as far as quality and affordability:
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/GunC ... escope.php
OK, for those who took the time to read this thread to the end, here are some pictures of the Winchester:
SHASTA
